Horoscopes, Fortune Cookies, Etc

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wworld

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It’s come to my attention that Horoscopes are considered an occult and is sinful (mortally?). However, it’s left me with a question: is it still sinful if you don’t believe what’s being read, but rather like the subtle encouragement inside them? Before I learned horoscopes were bad, I barely read them. But when I did, I never really believed them (they’re all generic, anyways: “You will/should [INSERT ‘WISE’, POSITIVE VERB HERE] today”) but liked the encouraging message inside them.

Also, does that mean fortune cookies are also bad? They too aren’t taken seriously by me, but rather as fun (and encouraging). Plus, I don’t think fortune cookies were previously part of another religion/tradition/whatever.

So, probably what I’m really asking, is something like “is it sinful to read horoscopes, fortune cookies, etc. if you aren’t taking them seriously?”
 
Next time you read a Horoscope, read all of them. You’ll find that they all offer subtle encouragement, a warning or a prediction. Fortune cookies are sayings or thoughts that may offer some psychological encouragement.

I suggest asking yourself why you need them.

Peace,
Ed
 
The St. Francis convent in Sylvania has the signs of the zodiac as a mural. You should ask a Franciscan about them? With the confusion about the movement of the stars via our calendar, who knows which sign to read? One might take it seriously for the minute it takes to read it. A minute is not very long. Nancy Reagan used it to schedule Ronnie’s day!
 
Short answer - No… what you describe is not sinful.
Reading the horoscope in the newspaper and fortune cookies are harmless so long as you recognize them for what they are - pure entertainment.

Now if you were to go and have a horoscope done - that would be another matter…

Peace
James
 
wworld said:
It’s come to my attention that Horoscopes are considered an occult and is sinful (mortally?). However, it’s left me with a question: is it still sinful if you don’t believe what’s being read, but rather like the subtle encouragement inside them? Before I learned horoscopes were bad, I barely read them. But when I did, I never really believed them (they’re all generic, anyways: “You will/should [INSERT ‘WISE’, POSITIVE VERB HERE] today”) but liked the encouraging message inside them.

Also, does that mean fortune cookies are also bad? They too aren’t taken seriously by me, but rather as fun (and encouraging). Plus, I don’t think fortune cookies were previously part of another religion/tradition/whatever.

So, probably what I’m really asking, is something like “is it sinful to read horoscopes, fortune cookies, etc. if you aren’t taking them seriously?”
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Is your catholic faith so lacking in encouragement that a Horoscope or Fortune cookie can add something more profound to it?

What type of encouragement are you hoping will fill what is lacking now?
 
wworld said:
It’s come to my attention that Horoscopes are considered an occult and is sinful (mortally?). However, it’s left me with a question: is it still sinful if you don’t believe what’s being read, but rather like the subtle encouragement inside them? Before I learned horoscopes were bad, I barely read them. But when I did, I never really believed them (they’re all generic, anyways: “You will/should [INSERT ‘WISE’, POSITIVE VERB HERE] today”) but liked the encouraging message inside them.

Also, does that mean fortune cookies are also bad? They too aren’t taken seriously by me, but rather as fun (and encouraging). Plus, I don’t think fortune cookies were previously part of another religion/tradition/whatever.

So, probably what I’m really asking, is something like “is it sinful to read horoscopes, fortune cookies, etc. if you aren’t taking them seriously?”
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Frankly I do not believe people read horoscopes for entertainment. They read them because they hope it will say something good and they hope it will come true.

CCC 2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

2116 …Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

If you’re not actually consulting them (looking for some unknown truth), I think it could still be an occasion of sin (to yourself and to others) to get in the habit of reading them.
 
I got a fortune cookie once that said something like To gamble is to be a fool without money… and on the back were the lotto numbers. I love fortune cookies, they’re hilarious.

Horoscopes are of the devil!
 
Wait, is a Magic 8 ball also sinful? I find it fun to ask random questions that I already know. And what about lie detectors? Heck, what about weather forecasts?

I really have a hard time differentiating divination from when it’s not. It’s just ‘new’ to me. And for all those asking if I have a strong Catholic faith, I’d like to answer yes. Yes I do. But for all the few times I’ve read a horoscope (Yahoo! horsocopes by the way…), I have never actually believed it. The message of subtle encouragement is kinda like encouragement from a friend, family member, or another person: even though you know God is always there for you, sometimes it helps to just have a little message encouraging you.

Again, like always, I never have actually believed a horoscope/magic 8 ball/fortune cookie. Oh, and I like to say that I DON’T go looking for horoscopes and fortune cookies. If it’s there, it’s there. I don’t really care if it is not there or it is; sometimes I’ll read one and most times I won’t. As soon as I learned I shouldn’t read them, I haven’t. I won’t either until I know if its sinful if I don’t seek it. I’m really just wanting to have this question answered because I don’t want to feel guilty if I ever read a fortune cookie for fun at a Chinese restaurant.
 
I recall hearing of a couple of cases some years ago where someone was reading horoscopes for fun. However, they began to see correlations to their life in them and came to believe in them. Following them had very bad results, death in one case.

Someone who had once been into fortune telling told me that people hear what agrees with them and don’t hear the rest. He could use any of several canned readings and the person would find it true. I suspect that the devil helps focus ones attention on the portions that come true and away from the missed.
 
Lie detectors and weather predictions are presumed to be based on natural phenomena (assuming the science behind them is good), which are observed closely. This is not divination. It is useful information obtained from the natural world. Engaging in things that purport to work by spirits, demons, conjuring the dead, supernatural powers, divination, etc., these are a problem. Overall, I recommend avoiding them. I don’t think it has to be a sin, though, to be in a group of people at a Chinese restaurant and laugh and joke at the silly things the papers in the cookies say.

Honestly, I could see a young person really, really wanting that magic 8 ball to work to tell them the future. If there are other influences in the person’s life, this could lead to a real desire to control powers to know the future. This would not be good.

Remember, you can always ask the priest in the confessional if X is a sin, and he’ll tell you. 👍 Also, if your conscience bothers you about something, don’t do it, even if you want to tell yourself you are being stupid for listening to your conscience.
 
That’s cleared some things up. But now I have a kinda-related question:

Are the Harry Potter books evil? I was an avid reader of the series. But is it sinful since it has witchcraft in it? I mean, everyone knows it’s fiction and thus written for entertainment, but still. I go to a Catholic school (one whose Latin, Religion, and Science teachers are monks from the Cistercian Order and have a monastery on campus, by the way). Surely they wouldn’t allow those books into our library (even an all-Latin version) if it was sinful, right?

Is it evil to pretend to be characters from Harry Potter two? Since thus you would be pretending to be a witch/wizard? (however I can hardly see how saying pointless words with a piece of wood in your hand for fun can be sinful. Again, if you believe what you are doing is FOR FUN)
 
I’ve read that the ‘newspaper’ version of horoscopes are so inaccurate that they are basically divorced from the real thing. Wouldn’t surprise me. These people probably just write sentences down that sound foreboding, and then assign them to signs at random. I don’t put a lot of trust in fortune tellers, and I have even less trust when that fortune telling is being mass produced and used for profit.

Is it real occult? Doubtful, though it is debatable, as one could argue picking things at random to tell the future is still telling the future (after all, most ‘divination’ practices involve reading too much into random coincidence). Is it a sin? I have no idea, and couldn’t tell you. Is it a waste of time? Oh yes, definitely.

Fortune cookies? They’re tasty and harmless. As for the fortunes in them though, that’s alo debatable. They’re also at random, and the fact that they have lottery numbers on the back makes me doubt their genuine power even more than I already did.

Personally, I see zodiac signs as just a convenient way to organize birthdays. Know somebody is a Scorpio, then you know the general time their birthday is.
 
wworld said:
That’s cleared some things up. But now I have a kinda-related question:

Are the Harry Potter books evil? I was an avid reader of the series. But is it sinful since it has witchcraft in it? I mean, everyone knows it’s fiction and thus written for entertainment, but still. I go to a Catholic school (one whose Latin, Religion, and Science teachers are monks from the Cistercian Order and have a monastery on campus, by the way). Surely they wouldn’t allow those books into our library (even an all-Latin version) if it was sinful, right?

Is it evil to pretend to be characters from Harry Potter two? Since thus you would be pretending to be a witch/wizard? (however I can hardly see how saying pointless words with a piece of wood in your hand for fun can be sinful. Again, if you believe what you are doing is FOR FUN)
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The only movies and books you must avoid are pornographic ones. You can watch/read whatever else you want, although anyone who is weak in faith should probably stay away from anything which might lead them away from the Church.
 
wworld said:
That’s cleared some things up. But now I have a kinda-related question:

Are the Harry Potter books evil? I was an avid reader of the series. But is it sinful since it has witchcraft in it? I mean, everyone knows it’s fiction and thus written for entertainment, but still. I go to a Catholic school (one whose Latin, Religion, and Science teachers are monks from the Cistercian Order and have a monastery on campus, by the way). Surely they wouldn’t allow those books into our library (even an all-Latin version) if it was sinful, right?

Is it evil to pretend to be characters from Harry Potter two? Since thus you would be pretending to be a witch/wizard? (however I can hardly see how saying pointless words with a piece of wood in your hand for fun can be sinful. Again, if you believe what you are doing is FOR FUN)
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I haven’t read Harry Potter, but I saw the first movie. It seemed like typical fantasy to me. If it is just harmless entertainment, I see no problem with the book. You’re doing the right thing, though to pay attention to what you read. 🙂 Don’t read things that tear you or other people down, like pornography.

I note you are relying on the librarian to have picked decent literature. If you’re not sure, then yes, it is a good idea to rely upon someone who chose the items with care and Christian values.

No, I don’t think if you have a harry potter wand and go around saying ZAP or whatever sounds accompany the wand that there is a problem. Unless you are annoying your parent while she is making dinner? 😃 No zapping the cook.

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Fortune cookies were created for the first time at the Midwinter Fair in San Francisco in 1894. They were intended as nothing more than a harmless amusement. It is difficult to imagine that anyone would take them seriously.
 
Hadrianus said:
Fortune cookies were created for the first time at the Midwinter Fair in San Francisco in 1894. They were intended as nothing more than a harmless amusement. It is difficult to imagine that anyone would take them seriously.
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A broken clock tells the correct time twice a day.

With horoscopes it just needs one that states something which actually happens and then the person concerned begins to think there might be something to it so they become more interested and also they will spread the news. It only takes a small spark to spread a big fire.
People should simply steer clear of all of that.
 
Even though I know that I am uneducated in astrology, I still firmly believe that the moment of reading a fortune cookie or horoscope can have value for the individual receiving the text. I do not take them seriously in the sense that I obey them, but in the sense that I impose my own meaning onto them. The text is not so much a guide, although it can be, if I choose to be guided by it, but an opportunity. I can choose to interpret the text anyway I so choose. This is why the writer of the horoscope does not necessarily have to know anything about the readers.

I feel the text is literally what we make of it, but it is not powerless. A token of energy or non-energy which allows me to accept or not accept from the universe a “truth” about myself, and apply it meaningfully. The intention of the writer of the text may come into play, however. Thankfully, I usually don’t have to worry about this because every fortune cookie I have read is a positive message. If i started to find evil cookies, I may be more careful when reading them.

Simply, These things are what you make them. You may make them entertainment. You can make them “death” as one poster mentioned. You can make them useful insights to your future and your life for spiritual growth.
 
slywakka250 said:
Even though I know that I am uneducated in astrology, I still firmly believe that the moment of reading a fortune cookie or horoscope can have value for the individual receiving the text. I do not take them seriously in the sense that I obey them, but in the sense that I impose my own meaning onto them. The text is not so much a guide, although it can be, if I choose to be guided by it, but an opportunity. I can choose to interpret the text anyway I so choose. This is why the writer of the horoscope does not necessarily have to know anything about the readers.

I feel the text is literally what we make of it, but it is not powerless. A token of energy or non-energy which allows me to accept or not accept from the universe a “truth” about myself, and apply it meaningfully. The intention of the writer of the text may come into play, however. Thankfully, I usually don’t have to worry about this because every fortune cookie I have read is a positive message. If i started to find evil cookies, I may be more careful when reading them.

Simply, These things are what you make them. You may make them entertainment. You can make them “death” as one poster mentioned. You can make them useful insights to your future and your life for spiritual growth.
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Your post worries me, a little. I’m not sure how you understand these words you use “not powerless” “token of energy” “evil cookies” “allows me to accept” “intention of the writer”.

I do agree that small moments in time are opportunities. One can spend any particular moment reflecting, praying, laughing, socializing, working, or whatever. One can make a variety of things from a variety of situations. One can see a motto for a college and reflect on your life in response. This is just fine.

That said, I would not continue to interact with an object that I believed had energy and wasn’t powerless. I’d run away quickly. It does not matter if I tend to think the “energy” is benign or not. I’d just run. I suppose the thing is, I think the devil is real, and if we open ourselves to outside influence, who knows what disguised creature will slink in the door. I probably sound like a nutcase, but I am concerned by your choice of language, that it might reflect an underlying problem. It merely could be that you use language in a very different way from me, and it means nothing other than like if I read a college motto and I happened to respond by spending a moment pondering the virtue of courage or excellence in my life. So just in case, I’m offering thoughts.
 
slywakka250 said:
Even though I know that I am uneducated in astrology, I still firmly believe that the moment of reading a fortune cookie or horoscope can have value for the individual receiving the text. I do not take them seriously in the sense that I obey them, but in the sense that I impose my own meaning onto them. The text is not so much a guide, although it can be, if I choose to be guided by it, but an opportunity. I can choose to interpret the text anyway I so choose. This is why the writer of the horoscope does not necessarily have to know anything about the readers.

I feel the text is literally what we make of it, but it is not powerless. A token of energy or non-energy which allows me to accept or not accept from the universe a “truth” about myself, and apply it meaningfully. The intention of the writer of the text may come into play, however. Thankfully, I usually don’t have to worry about this because every fortune cookie I have read is a positive message. If i started to find evil cookies, I may be more careful when reading them.

Simply, These things are what you make them. You may make them entertainment. You can make them “death” as one poster mentioned.** You can make them useful insights to your future and your life for spiritual growth**.
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That contradicts Church teaching and anyone who would follow such comments would be committing a grave sin against the First Commandment.
 
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